Winning London
by Jubilation Bells
Summary: Toby makes a drastic decision to help Spencer overcome her addiction. One Shot. Toby in London.


**AN: Not really a new chapter update. Just a big edit. **I wrote this story originally on the hiatus between season 4 and 5. When the show returned the things that happened contradicted what I had wrote as speculation. Since I am very anal about my stories being as in cannon as possible, I had to rewrite the second half of the story so it would match the show in continuity. So the second half of this story has been rewritten with new information we learned in season 5. I still don't love it, but here you go.

* * *

Toby sat awake in his loft apartment nearly all night that night. Nothing made him feel more helpless than seeing his girlfriend suffering. He knew she had been acting strange lately, she was never one to blow him off before, but he was not prepared for what her mother had told him was really the issue behind her obscure behavior. He wanted to be upset with her for not telling him about her relapse into a previous stimulant addiction, but at the same time why would she have told him? He had been the cause of her pain and suffering before, and while he could never forgive himself for that, he knew he had to make up for it. But in this case he didn't know how. Frankly, he was more upset with himself for not noticing sooner.

He knew the obvious answer was that she needed help. But knowing her, something would help her out much more than any doctor or nurse could. In turn, getting her the help she needed would in turn help him. Since he didn't know her very well the last time she was affected by this problem, he had no frame of reference on how she dealt with it before. Her parents were of no assistance to him since their solution to most problems regarding their family was to ignore or hide them. But he had to do something. That's when he came up with the idea of reaching out to Melissa. While Spencer and her sister did not always have the most stable relationship with one another, when push came to shove, the two girls had each others' backs. And in his case, maybe Melissa would be able to give him some sort of idea of what to do, since she witnessed Spencer's last episode.

He looked at the time; 3:18 am. Normally a completely inappropriate time to call someone, but in London it was already after 8. He was nervous. He and Melissa had never really gotten along, let alone had many conversations, but he knew Spencer needed someone who could help her right now, and Melissa was the only Hastings family member that might be willing to talk to him. So he had to put his own uncomfortable feelings aside. He immediately went to his phone to dial Melissa's number only to realize that he did not have it. Though frustrated, he should not have been surprised considering they barely spoke to one another.

He knew he had to get than number another way. So after a relatively sleepless night, when it was finally an appropriate time to call someone in town, he reached out to Emily who provided him the information he needed. Of course when he did call, Melissa's phone was disconnected. Of course she got a new international number. Once again, he felt helpless. He thought about giving up, but Spencer needed him. Her parents had rather sternly suggested that he give her some space while she recovers since she really needed to focus, and as much as it killed him, he wanted to respect their wishes.

Thats when he came up with another idea. As he was looking around his loft he noticed that crumpled up piece of paper that Shana once dropped providing Wren's address and therefore, Melissa's. Out of any other options, he didn't think twice before booking a one-way plane ticket to London leaving the following day. He would worry about his flight home when he got there.

The flight was long and Toby's restlessness didn't make it any better. It wasn't until he was half way to London before he started second guessing his decision. He barely even knew Melissa, how would she react to him showing up at her house on the other side of the world? What if she had the same reaction to the situation as the rest of the Hastings family? What if she had moved?

After hours of worrying, he finally landed. He took a deep breath, found a cab, and proceeded to the address on the dropped piece of paper. When he arrived he hesitated again. He looked at the paper again and saw Wren's name. He certainly was not in the mood to see him and especially did not want him knowing that Spencer had a problem.

Finally, he worked up the courage to ring the doorbell. Much to his disappointment, Wren promptly answered the door. As soon as the door opened, neither man said anything. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before either of them spoke. Wren was the first. It was only in his nature to be polite, even to the people who had once threatened to beat him up.

"Hello, mate," Wren said with a fake smile on his face, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm, um, looking for Melissa. I thought that this was her address.." Toby stumbled on his words slightly embarrassed.

"Well officially, yes, this is her flat, but I've been renting it out from her for the past couple of weeks."

"...Oh," was all Toby managed to say. "Then where is Melissa staying now? Can I have her new address?"

"Sorry, mate, but she's not even in London anymore."

Toby was very puzzled. Was this another thing that Spencer lied to him about? It did not seem likely since she really wouldn't have a reason to lie about this. And the last he had heard from her parents, they both seemed to think she was here too. And that was only a few days prior.

"Then where is she?" Toby finally asked.

"She pulled out of her internship early last month. Last I thing she told me is that she was headed back to the states. I believe something came up with her family."

Again, Toby was confused. Did Peter and Veronica already tell Melissa about Spencer's problem? Even worse, had it been going on for as long as Wren is saying Melissa has been gone? Something wasn't adding up.

"Did Melissa tell you what's going on?" Toby asked trying not to sound as angry as he was.

"No, I try to stay out of all of the Hastings drama. Hard to keep up with that family. I don't even think they can keep up with each other," Wren laughed.

Toby, on the other hand, was not amused. He knew how much Spencer actually struggled in dealing with her family, he hated hearing Wren even attempt to make light of it. Especially now.

"Was it about Spencer?" Toby asked regretting it almost immediately.

"I was under the impression it had more to do with her father's affair," Wren replied, "but what is it about Spencer?" he asked concerned.

"Oh, nothing," Toby lied, "I just wanted to make sure. So what exactly about her father's affair? I thought that was like twenty-five years ago. Why are they bringing it up?" Toby hated that Wren seemed to know more about what was going on in Spencer's family than he did.

"Not the affair per se, but it appears the woman's daughter, Alison, has been in hiding the entire time she was presumed dead. There seems to be some complication between she and Peter because of it," Wren stated.

A million different thoughts were going through Toby's head as he heard this. Alison alive? That was far from good news, for him anyway. On the day he last saw her, he didn't hate her the way he once had, he was far from a fan. Even worse, he feared the effect that this would have on Spencer. Especially now.

Feeling defeated, he left Wren's apartment and walked down the street. He stepped in to a local cafe and decided to check his e-mail hoping to see something that would make him feel better about everything he had just learned. Instead, he got a rather cold message from Veronica Hastings, but decided it was better than nothing at all.

_Toby,  
I just wanted to let you know that Spencer is doing well in rehab. She will be leaving tomorrow. When she comes back, we have hired a personal counselor to carry out with the rest of the treatment necessary for her to recover. In order for her to achieve optimum results, we have agreed that she remain focused and continue to limit communication with peers outside of friends and family for the time being. She will not have permission to use electronics during this time.  
Thank you for your understanding. We appreciate your continued support.  
Sincerely,  
Veronica._

Toby couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh a little bit at the fact Veronica spoke to him as if he were a client. But either way, he was a little happier to receive the update.

After another day or so in London, he decided to write her a letter. While he knew she would not have access to electronics, she might be allowed to receive mail. He just wanted to let her know how proud of her he was for overcoming this obstacle all on her own. To let her know that he was not upset with her, but admired her strength. He found comfort in the fact that her parents had let him in enough to tell him what is going on, rather than shutting him out like they would have a year ago. He hoped to enjoy his last few days away from Rosewood knowing all too well that chaos was waiting for him when he got back home.


End file.
